If we made a top ten list of anime mad lads, Sasuke Uchiha would undoubtedly rank in our top five. Sasuke's entire life has been and long, rocky road; his older brother murdered their clan when Sasuke was a child, leading him to hang out with a creepy herpetophile in his teenage years. Sasuke ultimately got his act together, but this kid rose all kinds of hell in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden!
Today, we're going to answer ten of the most commonly asked questions that Naruto fans asked about Sasuke. Some of these answers will give you a better understanding of Sasuke's worldview and psyche. Other answers will tell what the guy likes to eat. Hey, variety is the spice of life.
When Did He First Appear?
Some long-time fans probably know this answer. Heck, we'd even wager you're thinking that Sasuke first appeared in Chapter 3 of the original series - aptly titled 'Sasuke Uchiha!!' (with two exclamation marks for emphasis).
Truth is, Sasuke debuted much earlier. Please do us a quick favor; dust off your copy of Naruto Uzumaki Volume #1, crack open Chapter 1 and turn to page 13. Now, look at the bottom of the page and look in the way back. Do you see that guy sitting with his arms folded? Yep, that's Sasuke in the flesh!
Who Are Sasuke's Voice Actors?
Sasuke's had a bevy of talented voice actors work tirelessly to bring him to life. In Japan, Noriaki Sugiyama voiced Sasuke. Previously, Sugiyama voiced over Uryu Ishida from Bleach! In the English dub, the legendary Yuri Lowenthal provided Sasuke's voice in Naruto and Shippuden. That's right, Sasuke Uchiha and Ben 10 have the same VO!
Meanwhile, renowned Mexican voice actor Víctor Ugarte brought Sasuke to life in the Latin American dub of Naruto. Fun fact: Ugarte also voiced over Master Shake in the Latin American dub of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Who Inspired His Name?
When Masashi Kishimoto created Sasuke at the behest of his editor, he didn't just use an online name generator. It probably would've taken too long using late 1990s dial-up connections anyways. No, Kishimoto looked inward, reflecting on characters and folk heroes that inspired him in life.
At last, Kishimoto settled on the name Sasuke in honor of Sasuke Sarutobi and a 1960's anime loosely based on him. As for the name Uchiha, that's based on the Japanese word uchiwa - which means 'paper fan' in English.
Why'd His Change Costumes So Much?
Again, long-time fans probably think they've already got the answer to this question in the bag. And, hey, those die-hard fans aren't wrong. However, there's a much more boring real-world explanation for Sasuke's costume changes throughout the series.
From the jump, Kishimoto wanted to give Sasuke an elaborate design akin to his Chunin Exams outfit. However, Kishimoto soon found that drawing such an intricate costume over and over was a pains. So, he toned down Sasuke's costume, tried to return to the design during the Exams, then dropped it near the end of the first series.
Why So Serious?
Similar to questions regarding Sasuke's attire, we have intricate, story-based answers to this one and we also have a more mundane answer. Okay, so you know how tons of anime and manga tend to harp on characters' blood types? That's because there's a common belief in Japan that your blood type affects and determines your personality.
Kishimoto might ascribe to this belief, as he gave both Sasuke and Itachi AB blood types. AB is rare indeed - and anyone who has it will allegedly be stern, introspective, and highly intelligent.
What Are Sasuke's Favorite Foods?
Hey, we said that all of these questions weren't going to be weighty earlier in the intro. And you have to wonder what kind of food a guy like Sasuke would even enjoy when he's not brooding in the distance. If the poor guy's even capable of enjoying the simple things in life, to begin with.
As it happens, Sasuke's favorite foods are onigiri and tomatoes. Onigiri is kind of a Japanese riceball dish that's usually wrapped in seaweed. Tomatoes, however, are just tomatoes.
Where Did Sasuke's Sword Come From?
Between the ending of Naruto and the end of Naruto Shippuden, Sasuke gets a chokuto, a type of Japanese straight sword. Sasuke looked awesome in Shippuden that none of us made a big deal about his new weapon. Besides, we'd always figure we'd hear the story of how he got the sword eventually. And then Shippuden ended.
Scratch no more Naruto faithful! Sasuke's sword is none other than the legendary blade Kusanagi, one of the Thee Imperial Treasures of Japan. The sword ties in with Susanoo - the Shinto God of Storms, as well as the namesake of Sasuke's strongest moves.
What Were Sasuke's Ninja Academy Grades?
All ninja, no matter how prodigious, must spend four years in Ninja Academy before they can move on in life. Just about every character that we met in the series enrolled at the age of 8 and graduated by age 12, learning all of the basics of how to be a ninja in school.
Sasuke was no exception to this trend. He entered Ninja Academy in his youth and passed with flying colors in most fields. In truth, there was only one area that Sasuke struggled with: Cooperation.
How Many Shinobi Missions Has Sasuke Completed?
Somewhat in line with our previous point, we have this gem; Sasuke has only completed 16 Shinobi missions thus far. These are staggeringly low number by any standard, not just by those that the people living in the world of Naruto follow. To be precise, Sasuke's completed 7 D's, 1 C, 2 B's, 6 A's, and zero S's.
Chalk it up to all of the time he spent training with Orochimaru as well as hunting down Itachi with the rest of Taka instead of doing what Shinobi should be doing.
What's Sasuke's Favorite Word?
Power. Sasuke's favorite word is "power." Honestly, is there any answer more fitting than this? Sasuke's character for most of the series revolved around his hatred for Itachi and his desire to kill him, no matter the cost.
Most of the pain as well as the many triumphs in Sasuke's life stems from his relentless pursuit of power. Now, you might wonder what the murderous Itachi's favorite word might be. Well, you'll never guess it with that attitude. Believe it or not, it's "peace."